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I’m Bob Larson. The 2018 Farm Bill was shot down in a 198-213 House vote last week that included 30 Republicans voting no. Representative Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside says he’s disappointed the House Democrats and those Republicans joined together to vote against farmers.

In a statement released after the vote, Newhouse says this legislation would have strengthened the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program which he talked about before the vote …

NEWHOUSE … “One of the biggest goals of the changes being made is to make the nutrition programs more of a springboard out of poverty instead of becoming a … the safety net becoming a trap that actually keeps them in poverty.”

Newhouse says one of the more import pieces of the legislation dealt with increasing the availability of opportunities for job skills training …

NEWHOUSE … “… in order to help them become contributing members of our workforce. And I think that should be something that we strive for, to make sure that people are able to support themselves instead of being dependent on the government.”

Newhouse says as a farmer, he understands how important support for agriculture research and strengthening market access is for our ag community.

He says before voting in favor of the Farm Bill, he traveled throughout Central Washington talking with farmers, ranchers, and producers about the legislation that would have gone a long way towards addressing their concerns.

Newhouse says Congress must act to strengthen the future of American farmers who are struggling with the lowest farm income in more than a decade and fulfill our commitment to them and pass a Farm Bill.